Virginia General Assembly Reaches Crossover Deadline
The Virginia General Assembly has reached its legislative midpoint, known as "crossover," where bills passed by one chamber are sent to the other for consideration. Many pieces of legislation are now moving between the House and Senate as the session's second half begins.
- House Bill 1403, which has passed the House, would rename the state's Maternal Mortality Review Team to also focus on "Severe Maternal Morbidity" and mandate the creation of a public data dashboard with regional and demographic breakdowns of these cases. - Another piece of legislation, House Bill 1353, calls for the Commissioner of Health to form a workgroup to study the creation of a statewide maternal health safety initiative aimed at improving outcomes through measures like patient education and clinical alerts. - A proposed budget amendment seeks to create a workgroup to tackle the barriers that prevent licensed midwives from contracting with Virginia's Medicaid managed care organizations, which could expand access to midwifery care for Medicaid recipients. - This session builds on recent legislative gains for midwives; as of July 2025, Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) with 1,000 hours of clinical experience can practice independently without a written agreement with a physician. - Lawmakers are also considering telehealth advancements, with House Bill 425 aiming to clarify and expand Medicaid coverage for remote patient monitoring for pregnant and postpartum individuals for up to 12 months. - A resolution introduced in the Senate, SJ56, proposes designating March 14th of each year as Black Midwives Day in Virginia to recognize their role in reducing maternal mortality and improving perinatal health.
